EPF10K10QC208-4 - Flex 10K FPGA, 10K Gates, 208-PQFP | Altera
MPN: EPF10K10QC208-4 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38.5 | $38.50 |
| 10 | $34.2 | $342.00 |
| 100 | $28.9 | $2,890.00 |
| 500 | $22.4 | $11,200.00 |
| 1,000 | $18.75 | $18,750.00 |
EPF10K10QC208-4 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital logic via a sea of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) wired by programmable interconnect. FPGAs sit hierarchically between simple PLDs (PALs/GALs) and full custom ASICs - offering higher density and faster time-to-market than either. The FLEX 10K family pioneered embedded array blocks (EABs) for on-chip memory plus logic, enabling System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC) integration that was novel for its era.
Key features include 72 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), 6144 typical RAM bits distributed in EABs, multi-volt I/O compatibility (3.3 V and 5.0 V), built-in low-skew clock distribution trees, FastTrack continuous routing structure, tri-state emulation for JTAG boundary-scan testing, and 100% functional testing of all devices. The architecture supports in-system programming via the ByteBlaster or BitBlaster download cables.
Technical depth: the FLEX 10K architecture combines a fine-grained logic fabric (each LE contains a 4-input LUT and a flip-flop) with coarse-grained embedded array blocks optimized for memory and arithmetic functions. The 0.42 µm process and 5 V core supply were state of the art when the family was introduced, and the FastTrack routing fabric delivers predictable interconnect delays critical for synchronous design timing closure.
Typical applications include legacy telecom interfaces, industrial control logic, glue logic replacement, prototyping platforms for ASIC designs, and educational digital design labs. The 134 I/Os in the 208-PQFP package make it suitable for bus-oriented designs with multiple parallel peripherals.
When designing with this part, ensure the Quartus II or MAX+PLUS II toolchain is configured for the FLEX 10K device family. JTAG boundary-scan and the built-in SRAM-based configuration mean the device must be reconfigured at every power-up - non-volatile configuration via an EPC1 or EPC2 configuration EPROM is recommended for production.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-family alternatives (EPF10K10QC208-3, EPF10K10QC208-3N), and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet - valuable context for engineers maintaining legacy FLEX 10K designs.
Drop-in alternatives for EPF10K10QC208-4 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EPF10K10QC208-4 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Family, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Configuration Method.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EPF10K10QC208-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$45.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K10QC208-3N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EPF10K10AQC208-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$31.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K10AQC208-3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$49.9 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K10AQC208-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$22 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K10QC208-4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$16.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →EPF10K10QC208-4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | FLEX 10K |
| Series | EPF10K10 |
| Typical Gates | 10,000 |
| Logic Elements | 576 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 72 |
| Embedded Array Blocks (EABs) | 3 |
| Maximum RAM Bits | 6,144 |
| User I/Os | 134 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 125 MHz |
| Process Technology | 0.42 µm CMOS |
| Supply Voltage | 5.0 V |
| I/O Voltage Compatibility | 3.3 V / 5.0 V |
| Propagation Delay | Speed grade -4 |
| Package | 208-Pin PQFP (PQFP-208) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +70 °C (Commercial) |
| Configuration Method | SRAM-based, in-system programmable |
EPF10K10QC208-4 Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 2 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 3 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 4 | VCC — 5.0 V core supply |
| Pin 5 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 6 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 7 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 8 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 9 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 10 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 11 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 12 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 13 | VCC — 5.0 V I/O supply |
| Pin 14 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 15 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 16 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 17 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 18 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 19 | I/O — User I/O pin |
| Pin 20 | I/O — User I/O pin |
Typical Applications
EPF10K10QC208-4 is suitable for 6 applications: Legacy Telecom Interface Logic, Industrial Control Glue Logic, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Educational Digital Design Laboratory, Bus Interface and Protocol Bridge, Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment.
Legacy Telecom Interface Logic
The EPF10K10QC208-4's 576 logic elements and 134 user I/Os suit it to legacy telecom interface cards where multiple parallel bus protocols (H.110, TDM, SCSA) must be bridged. The FLEX 10K FastTrack interconnect fabric delivers predictable timing for synchronous TDM buses, and the 6,144 bits of EAB RAM can hold small lookup tables for tone generation or framing. Placed on a CompactPCI or VME legacy backplane, the device handles protocol conversion between E1/T1 framers and the host CPU. The 5 V core supply is convenient for telecom-grade 5 V power rails common in 1990s-era equipment. Estimated: at typical 30% utilization (173 LEs), dynamic power is approximately 0.5 W.
Recommended
Industrial Control Glue Logic
In factory automation retrofits, the EPF10K10QC208-4 replaces multiple 74-series TTL packages with a single programmable device, reducing PCB area and BOM cost. Its 134 I/Os accommodate parallel industrial buses (Centronics, GPIB, parallel I/O racks), while the embedded array blocks (EABs) provide fast on-chip memory for state-machine lookup tables. The 0-70 °C commercial temperature range fits indoor control cabinets. For motor encoder interfacing, the device's low-skew clock distribution tree ensures synchronous sampling across multiple quadrature channels. Designers must provide a 5 V rail and an EPC1/EPC2 configuration EPROM for non-volatile bitstream storage at power-up.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EPF10K10QC208-4 historically served as an ASIC prototyping vehicle, allowing designers to validate register-transfer level (RTL) logic before committing to a masked silicon fabrication run. With 576 logic elements and 6,144 bits of embedded RAM, the part can host small microcontrollers, peripheral controllers, and custom datapaths. Quartus II and MAX+PLUS II toolchains synthesize Verilog or VHDL into the FLEX 10K architecture, providing near-real-time feedback on area and timing. The 208-PQFP package exposes enough I/O to map prototype ASIC pins for functional verification. Modern migration paths include Cyclone IV E or MAX 10 FPGAs, but legacy prototype boards still rely on FLEX 10K for software regression testing.
Recommended
Educational Digital Design Laboratory
Universities and technical schools have deployed the EPF10K10QC208-4 on educational FPGA development boards to teach digital design, computer architecture, and hardware description languages. The 10K-gate capacity is sufficient for lab exercises covering state machines, FIFOs, UARTs, and small RISC cores, while the 208-PQFP package is robust enough to survive repeated student handling. Quartus II Web Edition (free) supports the FLEX 10K family, removing licensing cost from the educational equation. The 5 V supply and through-hole-friendly PQFP also simplify laboratory breadboard interfaces. As these boards age into the 2020s, schools increasingly migrate to Cyclone or MAX 10 boards, but FLEX 10K labs remain common.
Recommended
Bus Interface and Protocol Bridge
The EPF10K10QC208-4 excels as a bus bridge between mismatched parallel interfaces - for example, converting between ISA and PCI local bus, or between VME and proprietary backplanes. Its 134 user I/Os are partitioned across four package sides, simplifying PCB routing of two independent bus connectors. The FLEX 10K EABs implement small dual-port RAMs for data buffering between asynchronous clock domains, and the built-in low-skew clock distribution handles the multi-clock scenarios typical of bridge designs. Estimated: a typical 8-bit ISA-to-PCI bridge consumes approximately 400 LEs (70% of the device) and 2-3 EABs of FIFO memory.
Recommended
Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment
Bench-top instruments manufactured in the late 1990s and 2000s used FLEX 10K FPGAs to implement custom DSP datapaths, timing generators, and display controllers. The EPF10K10QC208-4 specifically appears in oscilloscope timing logic, logic analyzer state sequencers, and arbitrary waveform generator memory controllers. Its 6,144-bit EAB RAM can store small waveform lookup tables, and the 134 I/Os accommodate parallel ADC/DAC interfaces. Replacement parts for these instruments must be drop-in compatible to avoid costly PCB rework, making the EPF10K10QC208-3, -3N, or -4N the standard service replacements. Modern equivalents (MAX II, MAX V) offer smaller packages but require layout changes.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EPF10K10QC208-4 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EPF10K10QC208-3 | EPF10K10QC208-3N | EPF10K10AQC208-3 | EPF10K10QC208-4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 208-Pin PQFP | 208-Pin PQFP - same | 208-Pin PQFP - same | 208-Pin PQFP - same | 208-Pin PQFP - same |
| Logic Elements | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 | 576 |
| Speed Grade | -4 | -3 (faster) | -3 (faster) | -3 (faster, FLEX 10KA) | -4 (same) |
| Family | FLEX 10K | FLEX 10K | FLEX 10K | FLEX 10KA (enhanced) | FLEX 10K |
| Supply Voltage | 5.0 V | 5.0 V | 5.0 V | 5.0 V | 5.0 V |
| User I/Os | 134 | 134 | 134 | 134 | 134 |
| Lead-Free (RoHS) | Non-RoHS (typical) | Non-RoHS | RoHS (lead-free) | Non-RoHS | RoHS (lead-free) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete (last-time-buy stock) | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Obsolete but serviceable in same package (vs EPF10K10QC208-3N)
- Non-RoHS terminal finish (vs EPF10K10QC208-3N)
- FLEX 10K (original) vs FLEX 10KA architecture (vs EPF10K10AQC208-3)
Design Notes
The EPF10K10QC208-4 requires a clean 5.0 V ±5% supply on its VCCINT and VCCIO pins. The FLEX 10K family's 0.42 µm CMOS process is sensitive to supply noise - place 0.1 µF ceramic decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCC pin and a 10 µF bulk tantalum near the device. The 5 V core voltage is incompatible with 3.3 V-only modern designs; if migrating, redesign the power tree rather than attempt level shifting on the supply rail. Estimated: at 30% utilization, core current is approximately 100 mA, with additional 50-100 mA for I/O switching depending on toggle rate.
Because the FLEX 10K is SRAM-based, it loses configuration at every power-down - non-volatile storage of the bitstream in an EPC1 or EPC2 configuration EPROM is mandatory for production boards. Attempting to use JTAG-only configuration leaves the device unconfigured at field deployment, which often manifests as 'dead on arrival' returns. Also note that the FLEX 10K device family is supported only by legacy Altera toolchains (MAX+PLUS II and Quartus II up to version 13.0); modern Quartus Prime does NOT support this family. Engineers maintaining FLEX 10K designs must retain a licensed legacy toolchain or virtual machine.
The 208-PQFP package has a theta_JA of approximately 35-40 °C/W, giving modest thermal headroom for moderate utilization designs. At 100% logic utilization and 125 MHz clock frequency, dynamic power can reach 1-2 W, producing a 35-80 °C junction temperature rise above ambient. For fan-less enclosed industrial equipment, de-rate the clock frequency or reduce utilization to keep Tj below 100 °C. Estimated: at 50% utilization and 50 MHz, dynamic power is approximately 0.6 W, giving a ~25 °C rise - usually safe for sealed enclosures.
The 208-PQFP package uses 0.5 mm pitch gull-wing leads with a 5.6 mm × 5.6 mm body. Allocate a land pattern with 0.3 mm × 1.5 mm pads and ensure a clear keep-out of 0.2 mm between pads to avoid solder bridging during reflow. Route all 134 user I/O signals on the top layer or breakout to inner layers via short vias - the high I/O count makes via-in-pad impractical for hand-rework designs. Provide a star-ground topology with the FLEX 10K ground pin connected to the central ground pour, not daisy-chained through I/O connectors.
Compliance Information
Standard EPF10K10QC208-4 typically ships with SnPb (lead) finish - not RoHS compliant. The 'N' suffix variants (EPF10K10QC208-3N, EPF10K10QC208-4N) are lead-free/RoHS compliant per industry convention. AEC-Q100 not applicable for commercial-grade FPGAs. REACH and conflict minerals status marked unknown because the part is obsolete and manufacturer declarations are not currently maintained.
